


scintilla

by pageofwands (eorumverba)



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 19:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16332134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eorumverba/pseuds/pageofwands
Summary: And the best part about working at the bookstore on the corner of two relatively quiet streets is that that’s where Julian meets Asra. It’s all types of romantic and all types of cliche, but that’s where it happens.





	scintilla

**Author's Note:**

> i told myself id write a bookstore au with actual plot but it just turned into this

The third best part about working at the bookshop on the corner of two relatively quiet streets is that since his manager has known him for so long, Julian is allowed to pretty much do whatever. It  _also_  means that she  _knows_  him, and more times than not, Julian has come to work and been practically force-fed pirozhki or baklava or tikvenik or whatever other dish Mazelinka had “just happened to be having a craving for.” It’s nice though, getting to be babied and fed  _and_  paid, and Julian wouldn’t trade it for the world.

The second best part about working at the bookshop on the corner of two relatively quiet streets is that next to no one even knows it exists. There are a few loyal customers, of course, and the odd group of students looking to buy or sell textbooks at a cheap price, and sometimes even those (very rare) people that genuinely love books. Those are Julian’s favorite customers, the ones that come in quiet and stay even quieter, that drift between the rows of bookshelves and read for hours on end. It’s most of what he does himself while at the counter, either that or homework.

And the  _best_  part about working at the bookshop on the corner of two relatively quiet streets is that that’s where Julian meets Asra. It’s all types of romantic and all types of cliche, but that’s where it happens. Just as romantic and just as cliche is  _how_  it happens too, simple and easy enough that it makes Julian blush to think about.

It’s just as simple as, “Hi,” and Julian looking up, startled, because he hadn’t heard the little bell above the door ring. It’s just as simple as Asra smiling, polite and with fondness in their eyes before asking, “Where are the books on magic?”

And it’s just as easy as Julian falling just a little bit in love, right there, right then.

“Just across from the science section, which you should check out instead.”

“I’d rather die,” they fire back, just as quick, and the words are so deadpan that Julian chokes on a laugh. They laugh too, genuine joy in their eyes, and then continue, “I don’t know where the science section is anyway. Why don’t you have labels for anything?”

Julian shrugs, pushing away his homework in favor of leaning over the top of the desk and leering, a little exaggerated. “Who needs labels?”

The pretty stranger quirks a brow at that, and it feels like they can see through him for a long moment. But then the moment passes, and they smile again. “Very true. So, show me where the books are?”

“The science books? Of course. Bio or chem, or are you a physics person?”

The banter continues like that, easy and genuine, and sometime between Julian leading them to the books on witchcraft and magic and all the things that have never made sense to him and Mazelinka coming out of the back of the shop hours later (conveniently, with fresh turon) to tease him about “his new boyfriend,” Julian learns that their name is Asra, they’re a sophomore at the same school Julian has just transferred to, and that (not very surprisingly) they’re a witch.

They leave the shop just after dusk with four heavy books cradled carefully in their arms, a soft smile on their lips, and a promise that they’ll be back – only for the books, of course. Julian plays along, nods extra serious and tells Asra in a stage whisper just loud enough for Mazelinka (who is definitely eavesdropping) to hear that there are discounts for pretty boys after their first buy.

For once, Julian doesn’t even mind the teasing he gets after Asra leaves.

* * *

“So, the pretty boy special?”

Instead of looking up, Julian just holds up a finger as he jots down another sentence of notes – Asra waits quietly, patiently, and when Julian looks up, there’s a fond little smile dancing on the corners of their lips.

“The pretty boy discount?” they ask again, and Julian nods and beckons them closer, as if to tell a secret. Asra obediently leans in, eyes dancing, and they look moments away from laughter.

“The pretty boy discount is  _very_  exclusive,” Julian starts, “it’s only available to – you guessed it – pretty boys. But not just any pretty boy, they have to be absolutely stunning. Exceptionally beautiful and completely gorgeous, simply sublime. And – do you want to know a secret?”

Asra leans in even further, the stone on their necklace swinging in empty air as they do so. Julian reaches out to touch, feels smooth, skin-warmed stone, and when he glances up at Asra, the emotion in their eyes is one he can’t even begin to place. “Tell me,” they murmur.

“You’re the first. The pretty boy discount, you’re the first.” And Julian is sure then, that Asra is going to kiss him. Their lower lip is caught by their teeth and one of their hands comes up to cover Julian’s, gentle gentle.

And then they glance up at him, eyes partially obscured by their lashes and the hair falling in their face (their eyelashes are so  _long_ , and their hair looks so  _soft_ ), and their gaze is one part demure and two parts mischievous, and Julian knows that they won’t.

“What’s my discount then? That  _is_  all I came for, Julian.”

If Julian were bold, he’d say “just a kiss.” If he were bold, he’d give Asra a roguish grin and leave it up to them to wonder if it were a joke or not. If he were bold, if he were bold, and he  _is_  bold.

“Just a kiss,” Julian says,  _grins_ , and Asra laughs, just a little. Leans in, slow and slow and slow, presses their lips (soft, plush, smiling) to his cheek. Lingers. Their noses brush when Asra tips their head forwards, and Julian feels the ghost of their lips against his for the barest moment before they pull away completely. And then Julian remembers the game, puts on that wolfish, roguish front.

“So what’ll it be today, pretty boy?”

Right on cue, Asra takes the four heavy books from their bag and sets them carefully on the counter. “Do you have any more like these?”

“Let’s go look, shall we?”

(Julian’s heart does  _not_  melt at the sight of Asra on their toes and still unable to reach the book they want, and he absolutely  _does not_  blush when, as Asra leaves, they say, “See you around, pretty boy.”)

* * *

It takes a surprisingly long amount of time for them to properly kiss. There are so many almosts, too many times where Julian’s bravery fails him and too many times where they’ll be interrupted by the jingle of the bell above the door, the buzz of a phone, or the realization that someone else is in the shop. Julian doesn’t really mind  _that_  though, and it’s clear Asra doesn’t either with the way their eyes dance. It’s a game to them, the way most things are, and the chase is fun to Julian too, even if all he wants to do sometimes is pull Asra close and kiss them breathless.

He’s imagined it a number of times, in a number of different ways. Pinning Asra up against the shelves and the way they’d look up through their lashes at him, watching Asra settle in his lap behind the counter with that sinful smile on their lips. Soft kisses, needy kisses, hard kisses, gentle kisses.

There are some things that Julian knows already: how tiny Asra’s waist is in his hands, the height difference between them when they stand close, the way Asra’s breath catches whenever they get too close. And there are some things that Julian  _doesn’t_  know (doesn’t know  _yet_ ): how soft their lips are, the noises they’ll make when they’re kissed, the way they’ll melt for him just like he’ll melt for them.

But it doesn’t happen like how Julian had imagined it. It’s much simpler, much easier, so  _much_. It’s Asra showing up after classes like usual, it’s Asra asking for Julian to help them find something to read (and they mean it, because Julian’s the only one that  _really_  knows the organization system now), it’s Asra pushing Julian up against the shelves and pinning him there. Their hands are gentle, but still firm against his shoulders, and their gaze is  _serious_ , unwavering.

“Ilya,” they say, and their voice is the same, gentle and firm and  _serious_ , unwavering.

Julian opens his mouth to speak, is left breathless (he knows what’s going to happen, knows Asra is going to kiss him) and trembling. All he can make is a whiny little noise, one that makes the corners of Asra’s lips twitch up in that familiar playful grin. “Ilya, I really want to kiss you.”

“Please do,” Julian starts, and he’s about to say more, but then. Then, Asra kisses him. Their lips are plush and soft and gentle, and they taste  _sweet_  (like the honey candies they’ve been sucking on so often and like the raspberry chapstick they’ve been wearing lately) and their hands are clutching Julian tight now, drawing him close to kiss him hard. One of their hands comes up to his hair, to grip tight and pull tighter tighter  _tighter_ , until Julian is burning from the inside out. Asra pulls away for a second, lingering close as they breathe the same breaths, breathe against each other’s lips, breathe each other in.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” Asra murmurs. Their thumb brushes against Julian’s lower lip, marveling, and then they smile up at him, genuine and open and honest.

“Why didn’t you then?”

“Just…nerves, I guess.” Asra’s smile turns dreamy as they glance down, demure. “I thought about it for a while, though. Thought about a lot of things.”

It’s a clear invitation, and Julian wishes he could tell Asra about all the things  _he’s_  thought of, but all he can manage to whisper is, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” There’s vague amusement written all over Asra’s face now, and Julian loses his breath again as the thumb on his lip presses harder and then slips inside. “Thought about having you like this, Ilya.  _Making_  you like this. Thought about you on your knees for me, thought about making you  _beg_.”

(Julian does.)

* * *

Somehow, Julian almost never hears Asra come in. Sometimes, he’ll just look up and find them there, looking at him from across the counter, ever fond. Other times, Julian will startle to feel a head drop on his shoulder and arms wrap around his chest. And others still, Asra will kiss the back of his neck, lips smiling and voice quiet as they begin to tell him about their day. Mazelinka still teases, telling an enraptured Asra all about Julian’s childhood, all of the stupid things he’s said and done, and sure, it’s embarrassing, but it’s worth it for how it makes Asra smile.

And it feels so  _right_  to glance over his shoulder and see Asra curled up like a cat in the armchair that Julian may or may not have gotten just for them. It feels  _so right_  to go and shelf a book and find Asra perusing the aisles, and it feels so right to sneak kisses between all of the books. Asra still keeps up the pretense of only staying for the books, for the pretty boy discount, though these days, they read the books at the store, curled up behind the counter with Julian. As the days grow shorter and colder, the bookstore is warm, filled with love that Julian never thought he would have.

Asra starts bringing snacks with them when they breeze through the door, and the kisses then are chocolate-sticky and coffee-sweet. (Whenever Julian says it, Asra just laughs and calls him dramatic, but Julian knows they don’t mind, not really.)

What’s even better is that Portia and Mazelinka like Asra as well. Portia treats them like – Julian would say a brother, but he knows firsthand that that is not  _anywhere_  near close to how she treats him on a good day. But they both love them, that much is clear, and Julian is grateful for that.

He’s grateful for the cold weather too now, and yeah, he  _hates_  the cold, but winter is Julian’s favorite season now even if it’s only because Asra blusters in with the wind and the rain and the snow and the cold, cheeks pink and hair more ruffled than usual. They’ll grumble about the cold and shrug off their coat and hat and scarf and bag, then settle in Julian’s lap and whine until he kisses each of their fingers, their cheeks, their mouth. “It’s just to warm me up,” they’ll say sometimes, and Julian will nod just as seriously.

“Can’t have you staying cold, can we?” he’ll mumble against Asra’s (admittedly quite cold) lips. Both of hands covering theirs until they’re warm, moving to their cheeks, their hips. And sometimes, when he feels especially bold, when there’s no one else around, Julian well let his hands wander, slip under all of the layers Asra is wearing to touch and touch smooth, chilled skin. And sometimes, when they feel especially playful, when there’s no one else around, Asra will let him.

* * *

Julian’s in love with Asra. He doesn’t know when he realizes, just that it’s sometime in between sucking them off between the shelves and meeting their friends for the first time, sometime before taking them out on their second real date and after walking them home and them stretching up on their toes to kiss him, gentle gentle.

Julian’s in love with Asra, not just a little bit, but a  _lot_. Portia knows, clear in the knowing smile on her lips when she sees the two of them together. Julian knows, clear in the quick beat of his heart whenever Asra takes his hand or kisses him gentle and chaste. And Asra knows, clear in the fondness in their eyes whenever they make him blush. Julian’s fine with Asra knowing, is fine with what they have, because this - kisses between the shelves and reading quietly together, Julian studying in Asra’s bed while they nap, Asra humming to themself as they look over Julian’s essays for him.

There are the little things - Julian using Asra’s body to study (only semi-jokingly, because anatomy  _is_  important) and Asra using Julian’s face and hands and everything to sketch. (Even if many of their paintings and photos and drawings will never be shown to anyone else, it’s so much more enough for them.) And then there are the bigger things - bringing each other food when they’re too busy working and studying, Asra just  _knowing_  somehow when Julian is upset and barging in with his favorite snacks and a movie to watch, Julian being able to confide (really  _confide_ ) in Asra and know that they’ll do the same.

“Is it okay,” Julian asks, more than half asleep, “if I fall in love with you?”

Asra huffs out a laugh, all fondness, but they don’t say anything for a long few moments. More so because they’re half asleep too, Julian knows, because their hand is still steadily moving through his hair as it had been doing for the past while. “Yes,” they say eventually, “though I had my suspicions that you already were.”

Julian shrugs a little, flushing a little at the fondness shot through Asra’s voice. “I guess I just wanted to tell you officially.”

“That you’re in love with me, or that you’re going to? Or did you just want my  _permission_ , Ilya?”

“ _God_ , I take it back, I hate you.”

Asra presses a quick kiss to Julian’s temple, and their lips are smiling, familiar and easy. “I’m just teasing, Ilya.”

“I know,” Julian mutters. “I wasn’t.”

“I know. And thank you for telling me, Ilya. Really.”

“That’s not an answer though.” Which - Julian won’t push, because he knows how Asra is with relationships, and  _that_  kind of love, and, well, people in general.

Asra hums out a not-quite answer, then stretches, body going taut and then relaxing as they curl further into Julian’s side. Eventually though, they shift again and heave a little sigh, voice quiet and uncharacteristically shy. “I think I could love you too, Ilya.”

Julian’s heart melts.

**Author's Note:**

> •jkhjh julian's a med student so he never sleeps or eats so his manager/mom feeds him and also scolds him QUITE A LOT bc he's so reckless  
> •mazelinka: is kind to everyone (especially julian's boyfriends) but she's always scolding julian for Something , god knows what ,  
> •portia also she's always teasing julian for something...or telling asra every single embarrassing story from his childhood (and adulthood) that she can remember.....  
> •but also julian and asra hold hands and kiss and go on dates sometimes..true romance


End file.
